Official Event Schedule
The official schedule for the event can be downloaded here.
Prasanthi Vidwan Mahasabha – 2019
2-8 October 2019
Dasara or Navaratri is a ten-day festival, usually falling in the month of October, and is celebrated all over India in the worship of the Divine as the Mother principle. Since the early sixties, the festival of Dasara in Prasanthi Nilayam has been closely associated with the Veda Purusha Saptaha Jnana Yagna. This yagnam is a week-long worship conducted in the Divine Presence in the Poornachandra Auditorium in Prasanthi Nilayam each year for the welfare of the whole world. The yagnam commences on the fourth day of Dasara and concludes with the Poornahuti – the final oblation that is offered on Vijayadasami, the tenth day.
In addition to other rituals, the most important component of the yagnam is the Rudra yagam where the oblations are made in the Yagna Kunda to Lord Shiva while chanting hymns from the Sri Rudram. The students of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning take active part by chanting the vedas, reading the scriptures and performing other parts of the worship along with the learned pundits.
The evening programmes during the seven days of the yagnam are held in Sai Kulwant Hall, under the auspices of the ‘Prasanthi Vidwan Mahasabha’, where many speakers—primarily students and functionaries of Bhagawan’s educational institutions—address the gathering on topics concerning spirituality and philosophy, Bhagawan’s teachings and experiences of devotees.
SAKURA Science Exchange Program – JAIST, Japan
SAKURA Science Exchange Program – JAIST, Japan, 16-26 Aug 2019.
As part of prestigious SAKURA Science Exchange Program organized by the Japan Government, nine Doctoral Research Scholars and a teacher (from the departments of Physics, Chemistry, Biosciences and Food & Nutritional Sciences, SSSIHL) visited Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), in the Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan from 16 to 26 August 2019.
This year’s research focused on Sustainable Materials. A host of six professors at JAIST exposed SSSIHL researchers to the systematic protocols of research, engaged them in discussions (at the mentor group’s journal clubs), and trained the team in various advanced synthesis, characterization and applications undertaken at JAIST.
The various techniques picked up ranged from computational simulation to experimental hands-on work. The visit yielded a good amount of collaborations, ideas and a couple of publications under preparation and review.
Summer Course in Indian Culture & Spirituality – 2019
Man can make genuine progress only when the idea that education is for earning a living is given up. Only one who realises this truth is a truly educated person. Knowledge does not mean mere booklore. It is not the transference of the contents of books to the brain.
Education is intended for the transformation of the heart. Man today is proud about the little knowledge he has acquired about the physical world and boasts that he knows all about the universe. True knowledge is that which establishes harmony and synthesis between science on the one hand and spirituality and ethics on the other. Man, therefore, should at the outset determine the true value of education.
This will be a Gurukula – a place where teachers and taught will grow together in love and wisdom – and like the ancient system of education, it will develop in its students a broad outlook and promote virtues and morals, which serve to foster noble ideals in society.
This Institute will be a temple of learning where youth are shaped into self-reliant, contented and enterprising heroes of action and self-sacrifice, for the purpose of serving humanity.
Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Revered Founder Chancellor, SSSIHL
13-15 June 2019
The Summer Course in Indian Culture & Spirituality serves as an induction programme to all students and teachers of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning with an objective to expose students of the University to the rich cultural and spiritual heritage of Bharat. It orients students into Bhagawan Baba’s educational philosophy and gives them deep, first hand insights into how they can directly benefit from this unique institution.
During the academic year 2019/20, the event was held at each of the four campuses of SSSIHL – Prasanthi Nilayam, Anantapur, Brindavan and Muddenahalli – from 13 to 15 June 2019.
All students and teachers of the University participated, along with several invited guest speakers. On display was a smorgasbord of creative and engaging topics, discussions, talks, singing, chanting and quizzes – each purposefully curated to imbibe in students the key teachings on Indian culture and spirituality from the ancient scriptures and Sai literature.
Some of these included:
Quiz on Great Epics of Indian Culture, Swami’s Guidelines for good living, Bhagawan on the significance of the Summer Course, Divine Directions and their practical implementation in our daily life, Lessons from the Bhagavatam, Panel Discussion on Indian Culture and Spirituality, Sri Rama and Sai Rama, Importance of Vedic Literature in Indian culture, Impact of Bhagawan and the Sri Sathya Sai System of Education, Spirituality in Daily Life, Sarva Karma Bhagavath Prityartham – Lessons from our scriptures, Self-Image and Positive Psychology, Head in the forest, hands in the society – Lessons from the Bhagavad Gita, Help Ever Hurt Never, Role of Discipline, Duty & Devotion in the development of Personality of a student, Workshop on devotional singing, Sadhana and Seva, Food Habits and Health, The profound Truths in Hindu Mythology, The science behind ancient Bharatiya traditions and practices, The inner connect with Bhagawan